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Rowan Brandt needs a life…
Rowan is a plain Jane and she's tired of drawing the short stick when it comes to luck and love. She needs a change of pace, but she definitely isn't expecting a seven-foot tall, fur-covered man to walk into her life. Not only does he get hair on everything, he also informs her that he will be sharing her with his pride.
Laithe Gatti needs a mate…
With males outnumbering females 10 to 1, his odds are poor that he will find her among his people, the Felidae. His pride is depending upon him to find the one woman that completes them, and the seven men are more than ready to make a few changes among the status quo… particularly when it comes to the sleeping arrangements among them.
And then there's Fahd…
Fahd has been trying to change his position in the pride for years. He has always been in love with his pride leader, but Laithe's position and Fahd's temperament ensured they could never be together.
Will the addition of the lovely Rowan change that, especially when she makes it clear that she is more than interested in having them both?
Excerpt
Turning, Rowan saw one of the trees in the holograph shimmer before a door suddenly appeared in its place. Sliding into the wall beside it, the door opened for a massive beast who stalked through the space into the room with her. It was the man from last night.
He was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. Standing head and shoulders above her, he looked close to seven feet tall. His entire body was covered in short, tawny hair. A thick, chocolate brown mane flared out around his head and over his shoulders before trailing a thick line down his chest. The line of dark hair ended at his belly, and Rowan quickly looked away before sliding her eyes back to glance between his legs. Blushing at the fact that she was eyeing up some stranger's package, she darted her gaze upward.
His body was long and stocky. His legs were incredibly broad, the muscles bulging in them even as he stood still. A thick tail swung with a slow swish behind his legs, the tufted end resting on the floor between the heavy pads of his feet. Rowan moved her gaze up his long length, stopping to run her eyes over his thick powerful arms and hands -- paws? -- that looked more like human hands than the animal he resembled. His fingers were long and tipped with short, black nails.
His head reminded her of a cat's. His amber eyes were set back amidst the fur on his face. His nose was wide and topped off by a spot of pink. The fur around his muzzle lightened, making it look like he had a white beard. His long, thin whiskers twitched before he advanced into the room.
He moved at a snail's pace, stepping carefully when he neared her. Almost as if he was afraid of scaring her. Rowan knew she should be terrified, but she was so fascinated by him she was frozen in place.
“Forgive me, Nawra. I did not have any choice but to stun you. I was afraid the journey back to our ship would have been a poor one for you and I did not want you to be sick.”
Rowan stared up at the talking cat man. He can talk? She didn't realize she'd said the words out loud until he answered her.
“Of course I can talk, Nawra. Are you feeling any effects from the stun?”
“You mean besides the fact that I'm standing in a room that can't possibly exist, talking to a cat? No, I think I'm just hunky dory, thanks. Wait, how is it possible that I can understand you. What, you talking cat people actually speak English?”
"We all have translators inserted into our heads when we are young, so we can communicate with any other species we encounter in our travels. It allows us to speak your language to you.” He paused. His tail started to jerk, swinging back and forth while he drew closer to her. “We tried to get you out as soon as we could. You must believe me.”
The look he gave her was so beseeching she felt her heart turn over once before settling back in her chest. She couldn't figure out how she was able to discern any expression amongst all that hair. The only thing she could see was his eyes, but -- wait a minute -- his eyes… those eyes…
“You… I… I know you…” Rowan stepped closer to the giant, lifting a trembling hand to place it against the fur on his face. Looking into his deep, amber eyes, she felt an unbelievable pull toward him. She was compelled to move closer to him, which was utterly crazy! She was positive she'd never met him before.
He remained silent, unmoving, while she ran a slow hand down his face. Reaching up again, she placed her fingers against the fine, silky hairs covering his nose. When she ran a thumb down his nose, he drew in a deep breath, letting it out with a rumbling purr. His ears swiveled toward her as he pushed into her touch.
Rowan giggled at the chuffing sound coming from his barrel chest. It wasn't at all like a cat's purr. It was louder, but he only purred when he exhaled, making her hand tingle from the force of the vibration.
Moving her other hand up, Rowan fisted it in his mane, feeling how soft the hair was. She wove her fingers through it, reaching in to cup the back of his head when he leaned down to allow her room to touch him. A curious melting in her stomach alerted her to the fact that she found the silky threads to be incredibly erotic to the touch. This can't be happening. He wasn't even human. Yet she couldn't catch her breath when he rubbed his head against her hand.
Rowan couldn't figure out if this was actually happening or if it was just a dream, but if it was a dream, then no harm could come to her. If it was reality, then there wasn't much she could do anyway. She could only hope that he wouldn't hurt her. But for some reason, she didn't fear him. Looking into his eyes, a switch flipped somewhere in her mind and she knew he wouldn't hurt her.
“I would never hurt you, Nawra. You must believe that.”
“What does that mean? That word you keep calling me. Wait, how did you know that was what I was thinking about?”
He pushed his face into her palm again, batting his head against the hand that had stopped moving.
“Your face is incredibly expressive, Nawra. It is very easy to tell what thoughts are running through your head.” He shifted his eyes down while he spoke. Somehow, the words didn't quite ring true, but she shook off the feeling that he was hiding something more.
“The nawra flower grows in the fields by my home. They are beautiful and possess the most wonderful scent. When you walk among the grasslands the little nawra flowers are hidden until you press against them. Then they release their fragrance and bewitch you with their smell.”
“Oh.” Rowan couldn't breathe when she looked up at his face. Her heart pounded in her chest.
“May I touch you?” The question was accompanied by another hard press of his head into her hands.
“O-okay,” she whispered.
He crowded her backward until her thighs hit the edge of the bed. Lifting both her arms, he methodically raised them, keeping his gaze on her face. When he pulled her into his body, she gasped at his strength. His entire body was corded with muscle. It was like hugging a wall.
I love summer. My kids are out of school. It's warm enough to take the Dana outside to write and I have plenty summer releases to keep readers happy. The eagerly anticipated (according to readers) continuation of my personal mini-series from Harlequin Presents, the Royal Brides, happens this July and August. Look for "Forbidden: the Billionaire's Virgin Princess" in book stores now and "Hired: the Sheikh's Secretary Mistress" August 1st.
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